This invention relates generally to accessories for firearms and, more particularly, to apparatus for efficiently mounting accessories to firearms.
The general concept of attaching accessories to firearms is known. For many years, the military, law enforcement authorities and others who use firearms have been mounting edged weapons, such as a dagger-like blade or knife, onto firearms for use primarily as an alternative or "back-up" weapon that can be used in hand-to-hand confrontations. These alternative weapons are commonly referred to as "bayonets." Typically, a bayonet is removably attachable to the muzzle end of a firearm by a bayonet mount of some kind. Most of these bayonet mounts are of the "quick-detach" type, and many of the designs have remained unchanged since the First World War.
A typical bayonet mount is basically comprised of two components: a male component usually referred to as a "bayonet lug," and a female component usually referred to as a "bayonet lug fixture." Usually, the lug is fixed to the firearm, usually on or near the barrel of the firearm, and the lug fixture is fixed to the bayonet, usually at the end of the hilt of the knife. The lug fixture typically has a channel or recess of some kind sized to receive the lug therein for securing the bayonet to the firearm. Usually, the lug has a generally "dove-tailed" shape and the channel in the lug fixture has a matching female shape. The lug fixture usually has a locking mechanism of some kind that allows the lug fixture to "snap" over the lug, to keep the bayonet from falling off of the firearm. Typically, the locking mechanism is a spring-biased mechanism, such as a detent mechanism. This quick detachability allows the user to use the bayonet as a normal knife, and to then simply "snap" it on to the firearm as needed. Usually, the bayonet also includes a front mount near the blade guard of the knife. The front mount typically includes a hole bored slightly larger in diameter than the muzzle brake of the firearm to which the bayonet is to be mounted. The front mount simply fits over the muzzle brake when the bayonet is mounted to the firearm to provide further securement.
The manufacture and use of bayonet mounts is regulated by Chapter 44 of Title 18 of the United States Code, as modified by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Pertinent portions of this Act were enacted on Sep. 13, 1994. One aspect of the Act provides that, with certain exceptions, it is a violation of the Act to manufacture a firearm having a "bayonet lug" (as defined in 18 U.S.C. Section 921) after the enactment date, or to add or retro-fit a "bayonet lug" to a firearm manufactured after the enactment date. The Act does not prohibit the use of such weapons by the military or law enforcement authorities. This provision of the Act has no retroactive effect and does not prohibit the use of "bayonet lugs" on firearms manufactured prior to the enactment date.
The general concept of mounting a light, such as a flashlight, to a firearm is also known. Doing so allows the user to project light in the same direction that the firearm is aimed without having to independently hold and aim the flashlight. This allows targets to be quickly identified and engaged in the dark without expensive night vision devices.
In the prior art, this has been accomplished in a number of ways. Commonly, a flashlight is mounted to a firearm using a plurality of bands or ring clamps. The flashlight is connected to the ring clamps, which are then clamped to the barrel of the firearm. Another prior art flashlight mounting mechanism involves "screwing" the flashlight into a threaded bore in the fore-end of the firearm. A problem with these prior art mounting mechanisms is that they are cumbersome, and inevitably require the use of tools, such as wrenches and screw drivers. Consequently, mounting a flashlight may take a number of minutes and cannot be easily done in the dark. If, instead, the flashlight is left permanently mounted to the firearm, normal use of the flashlight is not possible. A permanent mount is also not desirable because, in daytime conditions when the flashlight is not needed, the firearm is made unnecessarily heavier and more awkward. Another problem with some clamp-type flashlight mounts is that they may block or otherwise interfere with the firearm's aiming sights, preventing the sights from being properly used for aiming the firearm.